Bridal gown shoot

Thanks to Emma Tindley, East Grinstead based designer of beautiful Bridal Gowns. What a beautiful collection!
The shoot took place at The Salomon centre, Southborough, near Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and as can be seen the weather treated us well.

Typically for a shoot like this I would use the Hasselblad tethered to a Mac Book Pro, but for this one I wanted simplicity and freedom to move quickly. I've recently procured a new backup camera (Canon EOS 5D) and so I thought I'd test it out and was pleased with its handling. Focusing was at times tricky and slower than my usual the EOS1D MkIV but it's a great little piece of kit.

For my wedding work please visit my recently updated weddings website:
http://www.alanharbordweddingphotography.com/

http://www.emmatindley.co.uk/
http://www.salomonsweddings.org.uk/

Model portfolio - No Photoshopping involved!

Getting it right in camera!
Most people have commented on 'The Photoshopping' in the below image. But they are surprised when I tell them that the image never went near Photoshop! It's all about lighting and getting the image as right as possible 'in camera' for the best possible image quality.
After importing the image set into Lightroom, this particular one was virtually untouched.

8 minute fashion film

Danish Wakeel's Demise by Temptation

August saw me produce an 8 minute film for fashion designer Danish Wakeel, titled Demise by Temptation.

Set in Bodium castle, I also used my studio for some of the cutaways and other scenes as the castle time was limited.
A pretty grim tale of a seductress who seems to have supernatural powers. I had nothing to do with the story but hey, fashion was always weird!

An unusual twist as gothic meets fashion

The title says it all! Here's a small selection.

New short film - behind the scenes at a typical fashion shoot

Although I released an earlier version of this 1 minute film last month, this is a revamped and reworked version which amongst other things includes more footage from.My up and coming YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/alanharbord?feature=mhee

Look Alan … there's a snail in your lens

That was no joke. I set up choosing a white backdrop to sit behind the two trees and put my camera down on the grass and popped back into the studio to see how hair and make up was doing. When all ready we returned outside and started shooting at which point model 'Danielle' said something I've never heard before - "There's a snail in your lens". I thought it was some kind of strange joke but deep within the bellows style hood of my Hasselblad was sitting a snail! Certainly a new experience for me!

Model Danielle Bromley sought to add to her model portfolio. Providing portfolio photography for models can be demanding for original ideas and so for this shoot I wanted to bring a tree into the photo studio; only that wasn't possible! Besides fake sets in studios can often look … well fake! So I set up a large backdrop behind a tree. The ivy took some brushing to get all the cobwebs and dust off!

Build-A-Bag - Bespoke handmde bags and accessories

Thank you again to returning customer, Lisa from Tunbridge Wells company Build A Bag. I provided product photography for them earlier on this year and now they have greatly added to their product range and needed more product shots.

Some samples: www.brightonpod.com

Actor headshots

Thank you to actor Louie Thomas, for commissioning me to create a new set of headshots for his new actor portfolio drive.

New website by client Hayley Pomfrett

Back in April, I had an afternoon shoot with the excellent violinist Hayley Pomfrett. Since then she has had numerous prestigious bookings all over the UK with many famous names.

Her website is now live and many more images from that shoot are on display. Go and see!

www.hayleypomfrett.com

Supermodel Dji Dieng and the new Kristian Aadnevik Collection

Sunday saw me join forces again with Lilian Christensen from Vibe International Models as we accompanied Supermodel Dji Dieng.
Dji has just this week moved to London from new York and Vibe International Models will be officially representing her in the UK.

Sunday's fashion show was the showcase of Kristian Aadnevik's (lower middle photo) stunning latest collection and was hosted by the Atheneum, Pall Mall. Interestingly it is the gentlemen's club that both my father and grandfather were members of, which added a different dynamic for me.

The after party was held at the exclusive Mayfair night lounge 'Mortons'.

http://www.djidieng.com
http://www.vibeinternational.com/
http://www.mortonsclub.com

Behind the scenes - An AHP short film

Film/ video footage is often taken at the fashion shoots I work on. Here's a 1 minute short film "Behind the scenes on a fashion shoot".

Model portfolio update

Thanks to commercial/ beauty model Lara Dixon for seeking me out to update her portfolio.
Also thanks once again to my most excellent team:
Make up artist : Linda Francis http://www.makeupbylinda.co.uk/
Hair stylist: Cara Mood: http://www.caramood.co.nr/

Model portfolio update

1 model – 28 billboards up and down the country

Thanks to the lovely people at Primesight one of the UK's leading Outdoor advertising companies. Photographing for very large print means more attention to detail and the use of medium format camera equipment for the very best results. The final collection of 9 will be used to advertise space on billboards in popular and high traffic city locations.
www.primesight.co.uk/

Misha Rugs - Product photography in a lifestlye setting

Thanks to Lynne from Misha Rugs for commissioning me for the first shoot for their new company. Misha Rugs provides bespoke rugs made in the UK to your exact order, design and specification. I look forward to working with you again!

Interestingly I was able to hire the location from a previous client who had asked me to photograph their interiors with the view to use them as a film location.

Misha Rugs website www.misha-rugs.com/

Overseas Wedding - in 38 degrees of Cyprus heat!

Well it's not often that I photograph in 38 degrees of heat, but I can say from experience that it was an absolute pleasure. Many many thanks to the happy wedding couple (now Adella and Barry Bridges) who asked me to photograph their wedding celebrations which spanned 3 days in Cyprus. Thanks also for providing me with 5 star accommodation on the luxury Aphrodite Hills resort near Paphos.

Commercial photography is my main stay but people do ask, so I normally keep this work separate in a website especially dedicated to weddings. Keeping to an average of just 5-10 weddings per year enables them to be the personal thing that they are and makes them a special occasion for me too. Go and see: www.alanharbord.co.uk

July Photo Portfolios

The new Savoy Hotel - Fashion show by J Model Management

Thanks to J Model Management for bringing me in for the task of photographing their fashion show. Magazine submissions to follow ....

I must say the Savoy Hotel looks incredible since the £100M make over. Service is as exquisite as ever and the whole show went off without a single hitch - a rare thing in this industry. Everything ran as clockwork! J Model Managment lay on the whole thing, providing the models exclusively from their own books.

It was a delight to include in some shots the beautiful interior of the Lancaster Ballroom, to convey some of the opulence of the event.

http://jmodelmanagement.co.uk/

http://www.fairmont.com/savoy

Private school in surrey commisions new brochure - Architectural photography

Regular client Spurgeon Walker (PR and marketing), turned to me once again to provide photography for their client, King Edwards School in Godalming. Spurgeon Walker is designing and providing the new brochure which will include many types of photos, the one above being integrated in to the glossy front cover.

Getting the right angle for the image was important to convey the right message in the above architectural image. I was delighted to see they had brought in a cherry picker for the morning. It's a good job I'm not afraid of heights!

http://www.spurgeonwalker.com/

http://www.kesw.surrey.sch.uk/

Dancing in Folkestone - Dance Photography

For the 4th year running Ceroc Kent, asked me to provide photographic coverage of their annual summer ball last night. Jivers mainly from the London area packed their bags and journeyed down, many of them making an overnight stay of it.

Dancing photography is always a challenge as there is very fast movement and very low light which is constantly changing. This however has always given me a challenge that I relish. I also like to use lenses that enable me to blur the background of the image so as to bring the eye to the subject and not let the background detract from the image. My main aim in this type of dance image is to capture the eye contact between the two dancers and hence the electricity between them. If I can get some flying hair too that is a bonus!

www.cerockent.com

DANISH WAKEEL New Collection - Official Photos

A couple of months ago I was asked to photograph the new Danish collection entitled Dandy Meets the Metrosexual. This Friday gone was the unveiling show so the official photos can now be released. Here is a small selection.

London Fashion Designer DANISH Unveils New Collection

Friday saw the unveiling of the latest collection from my regular client Danish Wakeel, entitled Dandy Meets the Metrosexual.

The show was filled with originality and spectacle and here are just a few sample images.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=502316587